Benzodiazepine: sometimes called "benzos", are a class of drugs primarily used for treating anxiety.

One week later.

Taehyung.

My knees bounced up and down as I waited for other people to arrive. I checked my watch, seeing that I arrived a whole hour early. I sighed, putting my head in my hands.

At the sound of footsteps, I raised my head, spotting Rose as she walked in, large purse in hand. Her heels clicking against the tile filled the empty void of sound in the room.

She gave me a smile. "Taehyung-ah! Welcome back! How are you feeling?"

I shrugged. "Okay. I-I just hope I can do it without being stuck in the hospital."

She sat her purse down on a chair and sat next to me. "I believe you can do it. And we're all here for you, okay? I'm so glad to see you back in our meetings. We've missed seeing you."

Her words made me feel warm inside, and I nodded.

As other people walked in, they waved and greeted me, some giving me a hug before sitting in a chair in the circle.

One minute before the official meeting start time, Jungkook walked in, making direct eye contact with me. He scoffed when he saw the only chair open was the one next to me. He rolled his eyes and sat in the chair, turning his head away.

I frowned, also turning my head in the opposite direction.

"Welcome, everyone! And before we start our prayer, I'd love to welcome Taehyung back! Let's show him our support by giving quick updates on everyone's recovery, hmm?"

The group went person-by-person, all of them discussing things that have been difficult but how long they have been clean. I smiled and snapped for each one.

Zico stood up with a large smile. "Well, I started dating that guy I liked once I met the deadline he set. It's great, he's great. The feeling of being with him is better than any drug I could damage my body with."

"What's his name?" I asked as people snapped and he sat down in his chair.

His eyes sparkled as he responded. "Kyung. Park Kyung."

A few more people spoke and then it was my turn. I stood up and took in a sharp breath. "After the last meeting I was at, I... relapsed. I snorted a lot of cocaine, and it actually made me temporarily blind. In the hospital, I had seizures. They found bleeding in my brain from the drug use. They fixed it. I was released yesterday. They, uh... gave me pain medications even though I said I didn't want any. So, now I have to leap over that hump. But, I'm alive. And this is now my first full day clean, without any drugs." Instead of clapping, the group cheered loudly, Zico whistled even, making me chuckle as I sat down.

Jungkook was next, standing up with an annoyed sigh. "Still clean. Two more months until I'm a millionaire." As he sat down, another member of the group, Bogum, stood up, his chair scraping against the floor.

"Are you seriously that dumb?" Bogum asked.

"Bogum, please don't," Rose said sternly, only for Bogum to flip her off and continue.

"The man sitting next to you, who is only like one year older than you almost died from his drug use. He wants to get clean so he can live. So do many of the rest of us. Are you so selfish and careless to not want to genuinely get clean? Why not stay clean after 'becoming a millionaire' huh?" He formed quotation marks in the air as he said those words.

Jungkook scoffed and crossed his arms.

I cleared my throat. "Bogum, thank you for speaking up, but... I've tried, to no avail. Trust me. Some people just don't want to help themselves. They're not strong enough to stay clean and fight the battle of sobriety for the rest of their life. Some people are wusses, you might say."

At my words, Jungkook finally met my eyes for the first time since he walked in. Behind his anger, I saw a hint of sadness before he looked away.

••

As I walked out of the meeting, a hand gripped my arm firmly.

"Is that what you think of me?"

My eyebrows furrowed as I faced Jungkook. I gave a slight shrug. "Being sober is more difficult than being high all the time, don't you agree?"

He pursed his lips before pulling me into a corner, where nobody could hear our conversation. "Look, I agree that being sober is more difficult, okay?"

"Woah. Jungkook actually agreed with me? I'm shocked!" I crossed my arms and tried to walk off, only for him to grab my arm once more.

"Listen, Taehyung. I- I've had some rough shit happen to me. The drugs are the only thing that has made me feel... okay."

I sighed, as I met his troubled eyes. "Thank you for sharing that, Jungkook. May I make a recommendation?"

The younger male gave a small nod as he looked around to make sure nobody was listening.

"My best friends help me a lot. They were there every day in the hospital. Do you have someone, or multiple people, to depend on like that?"

"I'm always with my best friend, Yoongi, but... he isn't always supportive. I- I want someone who will acknowledge and be proud of my small accomplishments."

"So you want to be babied?" I said before giggling.

Jungkook gave a small chuckle and a shrug. "Maybe I just need someone to motivate me."

I extended a hand, and watched as his eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

I rolled my eyes. "Give me your phone, dumbass."

He obliged, giving me his phone. I typed in my number, calling my phone with it so I would have his also. I put his phone back in his hand.

"There. Now you have someone to keep you motivated. But you have to do the same for me. Let's keep each other accountable."

He seemed unsure, but eventually gave a slight nod. "Fine. Let's try it."